


Springtime of Youth!!!

by nymja



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 15:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nymja/pseuds/nymja
Summary: “You’re going out wearingthat?”Ichika, in a pair of sweats and a bandana Kazui had bought her in the human world, turns her nose up with a scowl. “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”“You can’t go out on a date wearing that!”Ichika’s eyes widen, as if this was the last thing she expected her father to say. “What? Why not!”Renji rolls his eyes from where he stands, blocking her from the door. “Make some effort!”--Four times Renji was aggressively supportive of Ichika’s dating life, and one time he wasn’t.





	Springtime of Youth!!!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [salzrand](https://archiveofourown.org/users/salzrand/gifts).



**One.**

He catches it when he’s stopping by the Fourth Division to check in on her. From what Ikkaku told him, it was a minor training injury and nothing to get worked up over. Which was why Renji had panicked at Rukia earlier this afternoon so he could show up to Ichika’s bedside as the super cool and collected dad.

He’s walking to where the healing assistant directed him, taiyaki bag in hand (for stamina!!), when he hears something very, _very_ strange.

A giggle.

A female giggle. That sounded like Ichika. Ichika’s giggle?!

Nosey to a fault with everything regarding his teenager, Renji does his best to stealth-tiptoe to the partition. He slowly creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeps a glance around the corner, eyes narrowed. Stealthily.

Ichika’s sitting on a cot, her back to him. She’s dressed in her typical training outfit, although one of the sleeves is pushed up.

A healer, who looks _too old_ , has a hand over her wound. Cool, green energy hovers. Renji vaguely remembers how much the sensation tickles.

Once again, Ichika _giggles._ The healer looks at her shyly, his cheeks red.

Renji can hardly believe his eyes. One, someone is _blushing_ while looking at _Ichika._ It was well-known across Soul Society that she was terrifying, something her parents took immense pride in. Second that his daughter.

_Was giggling._

Renji looks at the healer. And his nose wrinkles, despite himself. Ichika’s first crush was someone from _fourth division_?!

But then he steals down the initial knee-jerk reaction. After all, Renji, more than anyone, knew what it was like to be rejected due to status. He had vowed to never let that happen to his daughter.

Okay. Supportive!! He could do that!!

“ICHIKA!” He barks, so she knows he’s coming.

He hears something toppling over and notices that the healer boy has fallen over at his announcement.

Ichika just rolls her eyes, digging a pinkie into one of her ears. “Dad, people are sleeping in here!”

“I brought taiyaki!”

Ichika’s eyes brighten. “Oh, screw the sick people! THANK YOU FATHER!!!”

Renji nods. She nods back. After a moment, he awkwardly clears his throat.

“Maybe your...friend can join us?”

The healer looks terrified of being in the same room as him.

Ichika shrugs. “Sure. Take a seat, Shika.”

Renji fights his nose scrunch. _Deer. Deer-boy!_ “Here you go.”

“I, um.” Shika bows deeply. “Thank you Vice-Captain.”

“Dad,” Ichika says levelly around a mouthful of the pancake. “Stop scaring people.”

Renji attempts a smile. Shika the Deer Boy goes very pale.

“He’s not as bad as he looks,” Ichika informs the healer, tossing him a pancake.

“How do I look?!”

Ichika gives an affectionate grunt, attention solely fixated on her food now.

\--

That night, laying in bed, Renji pokes Rukia’s shoulder. She’s snoring, a pile of drool accumulating on her pillow. He loves her more than anything.

“Hey, hey Rukia!”

She ignores him, rolling onto her side so she’s facing away from him.

“Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuukia!”

Eventually she concedes, letting out a grumble that sounds something like: “Hrngh.”

Renji rolls onto his back, folding his hands on his stomach and staring up at the ceiling. “Do you think Ichika’s dating?”

Rukia shrugs one shoulder, pulling the blanket up around her. “Probably.”

“What do you mean, probably?”

Rukia sends him an icy glare that makes his entire body go cold. “I mean that foolish worries shouldn’t disturb my sleep.”

He wilts, a little, then clears his throat. “You think it’s foolish?”

“Of course. She’s in the springtime of youth. It’s only natural.”

“Yeah I guess-” Renji’s face drops. “Hey, wait!”

“ _What_?”

“Were you dating when you were her age?”

“Renji.”

“ _Without me_?!”

“I’m going back to sleep.”

“Oi, Rukia-!”

Again that icy glare. Renji decides to let the matter drop. Carefully. Because he wants to. And not because he’s scared of his wife.  


**Two.  
** Renji isn’t following his daughter. That would be creepy and terrible. He’s just doing some reconnaissance after Yumichika said there were rumors going around the 11th Division that Ichika had a boyfriend. Renji was therefore _curious._ And why shouldn’t he be? It was important for a father to take an interest in his daughter’s life!

Which is how he ended up at a shaved ice stand in what was probably the worst disguise in all of Soul Society: a wide-brimmed hat and his sunglasses.

Ichika stood close to a boy Renji vaguely remembers as a member of the 13th Division. The two were in a deep conversation that has his daughter’s typically scowling face breaking up every once in a while. Did his wife know the whole time?! The betrayal!

They walk by. Then Ichika stops, pivots.

“ _Dad_?”

His disguise!

Renji clears his throat. “Hey.”

Ichika’s eyes narrow. “What’s with the hat?”

“To protect my eyes from the sun.”

“But you’re wearing sunglasses-”

“Who’s your friend!” He says with aggressive enthusiasm.

Ichika sends him a slow, concerned look. Then jerks a thumb over her shoulder. “That’s Keito.”

The boy gives a short bow. “Vice Captain Abarai.”

“What a nice boy you are!” Renji rubs the back of his neck. “Very...appropriate!”

“Ah, thank you?”

“Why don’t you come by for dinner! Two dinners!”

Ichika’s brows furrow. “What?”

Yes, this is the best course of action. Renji nods, assertive. “I insist! We will have three courses!”

Keito looks confused, and therefore sends Ichika a confused look. Renji frowns. Is he not being supportive enough? He clears his throat. Time for more support, then!

“We are eager to befriend all of Ichika’s acquaintances!”

Keito awkwardly coughs. “Ichika-?”

She shrugs, arms crossed. “If you want.”

\--

After dinner, in which Renji was actually quite terrifying in his attempt to be welcoming, Rukia just smiles calmly as she sips at her tea.

“Keito is a nice boy.”

Renji swallows, nodding. He does not realize he looks constipated, although Rukia certainly does. “Very appropriate!”

Rukia looks at him over the rim of her cup. “He also has a nice boyfriend.”

Renji’s eyes widen, and Rukia smirks before taking a long sip.  


**Three.  
** “You’re going out wearing _that_?”

Ichika, in a pair of sweats and a bandana Kazui had bought her in the human world, turns her nose up with a scowl. “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

“You can’t go out on a date wearing that!”

Ichika’s eyes widen, as if this was the last thing she expected her father to say. “What? Why not!”

Renji rolls his eyes from where he stands, blocking her from the door. “Make some effort!”

Still scowling, Ichika tilts her head. “What kind of effort?”

“At least a cool bandana! That one’s a disgrace!”

Ichika scoffs, but Renji can tell when she’s actually happy. “Well, it’s the only one I got!”

\--

Renji’s fingers tie a small bow on the side of Ichika’s head. “There, perfect!”

Ichika rolls her eyes, but he sees her face getting red. “Dad, this one’s your favorite.”

“Of course it is! Don’t screw this up!”

Ichika regards her dad solemnly. Then gives him a stoic thumb’s up.

\--

When Ichika leaves for the fireworks festival with a perfectly nice girl from the perfectly nice 5th Division, Renji most definitely does not sniffle.

Rukia doesn’t say anything, merely stands on her tiptoes to pat him on the back.  


**Four.  
**“Ichika’s...going on dates?” Kazui sounds confused from where he sits across from him.

“Too many,” Renji says, taking a sip of a Ginger-Root-Paprika-Matcha-Hot-Chocolate. The pair of them are sitting in Orihime’s restaurant, one of Renji’s favorite places in the Human World. And Kazui is his favorite person to confide in, despite him still kind of being a kid. “I’m exhausted.”

“Ah,” Kazui smiles in a way that mimics his mother at her most polite confusion. “Abarai-san, why would _you_ be exhausted?”

“I’m being supportive,” he mumbles around stabbing a cabbage-sashimi-pineapple pancake.

Kazui nods. His expression looks a little sad, despite his smile. “Are...are any of them serious?”

Renji shrugs. “I’ve invited all of them into the family.”

“ _All_ of them?”

“What, you think that’s too much?”

Kazui spins his mug a little. “Maybe...that should be reserved for the ones Ichika really likes.”

“Well, how am I supposed to know that?!”

“Ask her?”

“...damn kid, I’m glad you’re smarter than your dad on this. Took him like, what? 10 years? To figure things out with your mom.”

Kazui nods, but he looks distracted. “Ten years is a long time.”

Renji snorts. He waited forty _. Sixty_ if you counted the other years before the academy. “I guess I’ll ask. You got any of those teriyaki jerky things Ichika likes?”

He nods. “Just...give me a second.”

Renji watches as Kazui goes behind his mother’s cooking station. His expression is intent and his ears are bright pink as he writes something down, then puts it in the wrapping for Ichika’s snacks.

“Here you go, Abarai-san!” He says, bowing deeply with a look of deep resolve on his face.

Renji frowns, taking the bag. “Uh, sure. Thanks.”

\--

Later that evening, Renji and Ichika sit at the table together, Rukia off running drills for her division. His daughter digs into the bag from Orihime’s place with an excitement only matched by Renji-- they both love her food.

He watches without too much interest as she picks up whatever note was in the wrapping. Her neck starts to get a little red, and it crawls up into her hair.

Renji takes a deep breath, deciding to follow Kazui’s advice. “So…”

Ichika’s head snaps up.

“Is there, uh. Anyone you…” He can’t believe he’s saying this. “ _Like,_ like?”

He’s surprised when Ichika’s eyes go wide, the note clenched tightly in her fist. “Why would you ask me that?!”

Renji blinks. “What-?”

He doesn’t have time to respond before Ichika stands up, goes to her room, and slides the door closed. And then he watches, confused, as she comes back out to quickly grab the food, then storms back into her room and slams the door. Again.

“Uh,” Renji calls out. “I support you?”

\--

Rukia takes in the story the next afternoon with a small smirk on her face. He’s beginning not to trust that smirk.

“She left after she opened the note?”

“Yeah, why?”

“The note was from Kazui-chan?”

He blinks. “Who else would it be from?”

Rukia lets out a little hm, and walks past him to their training area.

“Hey!” Renji calls out to her retreating back. “Who else would it be from!”  


**Five.  
**A month later, Renji is filing some 6th Division paperwork when his daughter storms in like a gangly, bright-red hurricane.

“Dad!” She barks in the same tone Renji uses for his Division’s drills.

“What!” He shouts back.

Ichika crosses her arms. Tilts up her nose. Sets her face in a scowl that is slightly more serious than her regular scowl.

“Kazui is my boyfriend! Accept him or else!”

Behind her, Kazui steps out, awkwardly waving. “Hi Abarai-san.”

Renji gives a half-hearted wave. “Hi Kazui.”

Ichika’s face falls. “What?! That’s it!”

Renji shrugs, going back to his paperwork.

Ichika stands there for a moment, eyes blinking and mouth opening and closing like a fish. Or shark, he supposes, like her zanpaktou Isonade.

“Explain!”

“Ah, Ichika-san-!”

“ _Explain!_ ”

Renji yawns. “What?”

“Why aren’t you being supportive!”

He gives a little grunt. “Kazui already knows I like him.”

Ichika frowns, pivots. “Do you?”

Her boyfriend rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Of course.”

“Then why did I bring you here?!”

“I. Have no idea.”

Ichika sends a quick look to Renji, her cheeks pink again. “Well, then. We’re going to the human world.”

Renji signs off on an expense report. “ ‘kay.”

“I don’t know what time I’ll be home. It’s a moovee.”

“Movie,” Kazui quietly corrects.

Renji approves a transfer request. “Bring your zanpaktou.”

When Ichika leaves, her scowl transforms into a small smile. Renji, at his desk, mirrors the expression as he watches the kids take off.


End file.
